The husband of University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Beverly Kopper has been banned from campus and stripped of an honorary, unpaid position after an investigation concluded he sexually harassed female employees, according to records obtained Friday by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The investigation was bumped up to the UW System level because of the unusual circumstances involving the chancellor’s husband, Pete Hill, who had an honorary appointment as Associate to the Chancellor by virtue of his wife’s position.

In that capacity, he was frequently asked to participate in fundraising and at alumni and athletic functions in a largely ceremonial capacity. Some of the allegations involve behavior that allegedly occurred at the official chancellor’s residence.

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Three women formally lodged complaints. One was investigated by an independent investigator hired by UW System in fall 2017.

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The allegations against Hill date back to 2015, the year Kopper was promoted to chancellor.

One accuser who came forward last spring told the investigator she feared that if she reported Hill’s sexual advances in 2015, he would lie about her work performance to the chancellor, and she would believe him.

“She was concerned because her job depends upon maintaining a ‘friendly’ working relationship with the chancellor and the chancellor’s spouse and finally, she did not want to embarrass the chancellor,” the UW System investigator’s report said.

The story provides more detail about repeated incidents, but the Journal Sentinel has not linked to the public records provided to paper. [Updated 9.14.18 @ 3:25 PM with public records as provided to the Journal Sentinel.]

This is a complete PROFESSIONAL/ETHICAL FAILURE.
Whitewater can’t go on this way.

bigfoot2000

09/16/2018 at 8:25 AM

One iron-clad way to ensure that no retaliation takes place … fire Chancellor Kopper. Or, in a kinder-gentler manner, strongly suggest she retire. In any event, she should be gone.

JOHN ADAMS

09/16/2018 at 2:28 PM

There are significant questions yet to be asked about these incidents, especially as they have taken place within a university with a prior culture of silence and denial concerning sexual harassment and assault.